MegaMan X: Title Pending
by Warde
Summary: Rated PG for a tad of language. Axl commits a crime that none before him have; and live to tell the tale, at least.
1. You're so going to Hell

**MegaMan X: Title Pending**

(No, the title is not really pending. That's the actual title.)

_Chapter 1: You're so going to Hell._

Disclaimer - Capcom is mine. Hah, I said it. What're _you_ gonna do about it? Huh?! Seriously, Capcom doesn't belong to me, simply on the virture that I'd be too busy rolling in money to write a story. Hah.

This opening prelude is an interest guage; I have a lot of things to do, like classes, work, and all that lovely stuff, and as such, if a few people review positively and would like to see more, then I'd continue. Why bother writing a story no one would read?

---

Axl crouched completely motionless, save for the raising of his dual blades; like twin vipers, poised to strike.

Target sighted.

His red prey was motionless, yet not for the same reason. Asleep and slouched lazily in a chair, Zero wasn't using it like one would normally use one; he was draped over both of the plush arms, his head almost completely perpendicular to the floor; his legs much the same. Most of his ankle-length blonde hair spilled from the base of his head, making a golden puddle on the floor, while some of it was trapped between the chair and his sleeping body. His right arm was across his chest and curled slightly inward, the hand resting on his left shoulder, while the other arm was strewn haphazardly off the edge of the chair's seat and downward, the wrist bent where it met with the floor.

Axl darted swiftly forward, abandoning the cover of the grey, much-abused couch of the Hunter's Lounge. The twin blades in his hand gleamed dully in the overhead light that gave the room a slightly gloomy atmosphere, as they searched for their victim. The young Hunter quickly approached Zero's resting place, but slowed to a crawl as he approached the mass of blonde that served as Zero's hair.

The double bladed weapon flashed out, seeming to have a mind of its own, seeking a place where the blades could bite into and rest. Axl's eyes scanned the mass of hair, locating a stray golden strand that seemed seperated from the others. Gingerly, he curled the lock of hair around his index finger, and his weapon found the bit of it that connected Axl's finger to the rest of the strand. _Snip._

Zero's eyes flew wide open.

---

X, in casual clothing, yawned as he made his not-very-hurried way down one of the halls of the Hunter base. He was headed toward the lounge, the place Zero was most likely to be this time of night.

"_I'm gonna kill you, Axl!_" came the irritated, far-off shout, startling X and making him blink. Not 5 seconds later, a black and red blur flashed down the corridor, but not before X was able to catch it; mostly by putting his body directly in the way. He braced for impact, and both X and his assailant/catchee were thrown back almost an entire meter, and knocked over onto the floor. X raised an eyebrow as he looked at his catch.

"Axl? What're..." X didn't have the time to finish his sentence before he was interrupted.

"He's crazy!" Axl exclaimed in hushed tones. "Just crazy!" He repeated, clutching to the collar of X's t-shirt. "Quick! Hide me..."

"Axl, what the hell did you do? And..." he held up Axl's hand, and looked at the weapon. "Didn't your mom ever tell you not to run with scissors?" A sudden realization dawned on him. "You didn't..." he said, wide-eyed. Axl sheepishly raised his other hand, still clutching the golden lock of hair curled around his index finger.

"Yeah, I did," he looked around, mostly fearfully in the direction he came from. "Please, hide me! Anywhere!" X sighed.

"Fine. Get up there," he said, pointing at the grate of the ceiling vent. Axl was only too happy to agree as he jumped off X, allowing him to stand, and quickly removed the grate. To X's utter amazement, he was able to fit himself into the vent before closing it behind him with the grate. _I guess desperation and fear of death makes one do amazing things_, he mused. He turned, just in time to see a flash of red and white as Zero sped down the corridor, only to come to a screeching halt.

"X, where the hell did that kid go?" Zero interrogated X.

"Uh, who?" X lied.

"Don't give me 'uh, who'! Axl! Where is he?!" Zero almost yelled. X stole a glance at Zero's hair. It didn't look any different...

"Ah - sorry, Zero. I haven't seen him. Why?"

"No reason..." Zero growled as he stalked off, in search of his elusive prey. X leaned against the wall, with the vent overhead.

"So, why did you cut his hair?" He asked of the sky. To his dissapointment, it was only Axl who replied.

"The guys dared me to do it..." he whispered, as if fearing that the Red Demon might be listening in on them. X shook his head.

"Axl, you are so going to Hell," said X.

"I know," Axl said back. "Uhm... mind helping me down?" The vent made several noised as Axl struggled to get out. X chuckled, the started in the direction Zero went in.

"I'm sure you're fully capable of getting out yourself. I'd recommend staying there until Zero cools down. I'd give it about 5 years." X laughed as he walked down the corridor. Axl sighed.

"X, you are so going to Hell," he said, mostly to himself.


	2. Retribution

**MegaMan X: Title Pending**

_Chapter 1: Retribution_

Disclaimer - It's mine. _All of it_! Hahaha! ....seriously, Capcom doesn't belong to me.

Now, to my reviewers:

PRIVATE - Glad ya' liked it. Yeah... my version of Zero is rather vain about his hair...

JesteretseJ - Thanks for a positive review... obviously, I have decided to write more.

Wedge McCloud - Thanks to you too. I dropped your story a review. Heh, let me tell you that Axl's vent escapades in both of our stories are a complete coincidence...

Why delay any longer? Here I go. This one'll be longer, but not by much. I'll make the next one longer, I promise. I honestly tried to get this chapter out sooner, but that annoying 'life' thing got in the way.

---

Axl shifted uncomfortably in his decidedly vent-like prison. _It's probably so vent-like because it _is _a vent_, he decided. He was sure that the outside of the vent absolutely had to have a decidedly Axl-shaped indentation on the outside. The trouble was, when Axl first jumped into the vent, it was headfirst. He'd reached back to drag the vent's grate back into position to better conceal him, but now that he'd done that, he couldn't get the vent grating off, because the grate fit into its mooring hook-like; he could pull the grate into the lock, but from his position, couldn't manage the leverage to push it out.

"Augh, Sparrow, I'm so gonna kill you for this..." muttered Axl, directing thoughts of general harm towards his teammate. He thought back to the night before...

---

The Hunter HQ actually had two lounges; where the main one was dark and gloomy, the other was bright, and probably the happiest place on base. The amount of alcohol served there probably had a lot to do with it. Regardless, Axl, who was notorious for almost never consuming alcohol, found himself there quite often. It was the spot where the rest of his unit idled away their time while not on duty, and Axl had nothing better to do, so what the Hell. He rested his head against the wall he was leaning on, closing his eyes. This place was also one of the few places he could actually relax here; he was still the 'new guy' in his unit, and everyone else seemed so natural around themselves, had a familiarity with everyone that Axl simply didn't have. The whole base held a certain alienness to him, being so different from the Red Alert Syndicate's HQ. All of it but this room, for some reason that he could place--

Axl's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when someone backed right into him. They both gave a yelp of surprise, and the reploid in a green shirt that he recognized as Relanz dropped the glass he was carrying. Axl's eyes traced the alcoholic beverage's flight - tracked it right into his shirt. It hit the lower hem of his white t-shirt, spilling the contents of joy on his lower front and over a good portion of his pants. The glass bounced back off him, only to hit the floor and shatter into a million peices. Relanz turned to him, apologizing profusely.

"Axl! I'm really sorry... I didn't see you there! Honest-" Axl cut him off.

"Don't worry about it," he said, pushing himself against the wall. "Nothing a change of clothes won't fix. I was gonna head back to my quarters soon anyways." He turned towards the door and left. Axl grinned as he walked down the hallway, wondering what people must think of him; his front soaked, absolutely reeking of alcohol, and grinning like an idiot. He sighed, putting his hands behind his head, and his elbows in the air, as if his bottom half was walking, and his top half resting. _And probably even worse_, he mused,_ 'cause I've never been drunk before and everyone knows it_. He finally reached the doorway of his quarters, opened the door, and stepped inside, locking the door behind him. He reached in a drawer, pulled out a pair of black jeans and a red shirt, his two favorite colors, and tossed them on the bed; his alcohol-embued clothing got thrown in the trash. He then showered, taking meticulous care to make sure that absolutely none of him smelled of alcohol. He finished, threw on his clothes, ran a comb through his hair, tying the base into a short ponytail, and left, only to be greeted with an empty hallway.

"Damn... I must have spent way too much time in the shower..." he muttered to himself; it was probably past 10 PM, and by then, most reploids were either in the longue, or in their quarters. Head back to the longue would be pointless now, but the alternative of going back to his room wasn't very appealing either. _No reason not to take a walk, I suppose_, he mused.

"Hey, Axl." called a voice. Axl turned and a look of recognition came to his face.

"Sparrow, hey." Axl answered. He was in Axl's unit. At 5'2", Sparrow wasn't a very tall reploid. He was completely humanoid; the name was a misnomer. He had long, dark brown hair, which was tied in a braided ponytail which went down to his ankles, much like Zero's, but braided rather than loose. He had extremely pale skin, almost to the point of being white, while his eyes, a stark contrast to his skin, were a deep, dark red color. He wore a blue t-shirt and black jeans, which is practically what he always wore; however, reploids don't sweat, so they can get away with wearing the same shirt several days in a row.

"Takin' a walk? Yeah. Same here," Sparrow said, looking rather bored. "Ever been kept awake by Cain-knows-what? I mean... I just can't sleep. I know it's silly..." he frowned, grasping for the right words. Reploids weren't known to have trouble sleeping.

"Not really," Axl shrugged. "Just bored."

"Mm..." Sparrow nodded, then grinned. "So, are the rumors true?" Axl blinked.

"Rumors? What're you talking about?" Axl scratched his head with his left hand.

"You know. You and..." his grin widened. "You know..." Axl flinched as realization dawned on him.

"I - you - she - ah - _no_!" he almost shouted, his words fumbling over themselves in his mouth.

"Ah, c'mon. You think I don't see you looking at her when she's not looking? I know you like her." his infuriating grin widened even more. Of course, Axl denied this.

"I... I do not!" he stammered, his cheeks reddening slightly - reploids were meant to emulate humans in every possible way. He groaned. "How many people have you told, Sparrow? Does the whole base know now?" he said, somewhat in dispair.

"No one but me," he said, "but I hardly think you want to see how fast I can change that." If at all possible, he grinned even wider.

"No... I don't think I do..." he sighed. "So, what do you want, you blackmailer?"

"Blackmail? The thought never occoured to me. But now that you mention it..." he grinned, and paused, thinking. "Heh, if you don't want this rumor circulating faster than a coin in a gravity well, you'll do one simply thing..." Axl groaned.

"Ugh, what do you want?"  
"You'll cut Zero's hair." Axl's eyes widened.

"I'll _what_!? You're crazy! He'll kill me!" he said in not-very-hushed tones. Sparrow held up his hands.

"Nono. Not ALL of it. Just a... tiny peice of it. He won't even notice."

"But..." Axl then stopped talking, thinking of the alternative. "Fine... but if I die, you're getting nothing from my will."

---

Axl gunted, bringing up his knee, and knocking a huge dent into the inside of the vent in the process. He kicked the grating as well as he could, the grate warping and bending out of shape. Finally, it pried loose, and he dropped free. He flopped on his back, panting.

"Free! Free at last!" he said, grinning, his eyes closed. He slowly opened them, only to see a river of blonde hair. Attached to a neck. Attached to a head. Which was attached to a very surprised Zero. Axl waved weakly. "Ah... hi, Zero."

Zero's confused expression suddenly erased itself in favor of an amused one, which was slowly covered by a horrible grin. He cracked the knuckles of his left hand with his right in front of his chest, and grinned wider.

Axl gulped.

---

At first I was thinking of pairing Axl with Layer, but I've decided on something different. You don't get to know yet. So there. I so love reviews. (hint)


	3. Divine Intervention

**MegaMan X: Title Pending**

_Chapter 3: Divine Intervention_

Disclaimer - We've already established that Capcom clearly belongs to me. Oh, wait, no it doesn't. Silly me.

Zero was just about ready to unleash a world of pain and general discomfort on Axl, but then blinked suddenly, looking up, as if he'd seen something. And seen something he had. Axl tilted his head back from his position on the floor, and saw a wonderful upside-down view of Signas, who blinked in surprise at the awkward scene before him.

"Zero, what are you doing? You can beat up Axl later," he said, and Axl made a slight whimpering sound. "I need both of you in my office as soon as you can manage," he said, "and uninjured, if at all possible." He finished, with a level gaze at Zero. Zero put on an innocent face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he grinned, reaching down, hauling Axl up off the ground, and finally giving him a brotherly hug. "Axl and I are best friends, right? _Right, Axl_?"

"Er… y-yeah!" Axl stammered, forcing a grin onto his face.

"That's good," Signas nodded. "I like to see my fellow Hunters getting along." Axl had the feeling that Signas wasn't really oblivious to his plight, but wanted Axl to suffer anyways. And he was probably right. Signas turned around, and walked down the hall the way he came. Axl looked up at Zero, who was still holding him. What was a "brotherly hug" suddenly felt like a death grip to the young reploid. Zero suddenly pushed him away.

"You know, I forgot what I wanted to kill you for," Zero said, shrugging. "I'm sure I had an extremely good reason, though."

"A-ah, well… not really." Axl said, if not a little fearfully. "Shouldn't we get going?" Zero arched an eyebrow temporarily.

"Eh? Oh, yeah, sure." he said, starting down the hall towards Signas' office, Axl tagging along behind him.

-

When Zero and Axl had entered the slightly over-sized office, there were 3 people who had gotten there before them. Signas, of course, by the virtue that this _was_ his office, a blue-hued reploid that Zero immediately recognized as none other than X, and a forest-green armored reploid that he had trouble attaching a name to at first. Axl recognized him, though. It was none other than Sparrow, Axl's unit-mate, and more-often-than-not partner.

Sparrow's armor was extremely minimal. His entire body, save his head, was covered with a strange black film material, which looked like it would be thin, but was completely opaque. His armor consisted of slightly oversized knee-high boots, elbow-length gloves, and a thick armor plate which covered his chest and back, and resembled a sleeveless jacket. There was a slight bulge in his armor around his wrists and ankles, which were colored black, while the rest of his armor was a dark green. There was gold trimming running up the back of his gauntleted arms and the sides of his boots. Sparrow looked at Axl and grinned, and Axl shot him back a murderous "I'm gonna kill you" look.

Axl also took the time to look around Signas' office; it wasn't often he was invited in. Signas had styled his office with the "1980's" look in mind; it was mostly made with synthetic wood (because the real stuff was quite expensive anymore…), which composed the ceiling, as well as paneling on the lower half of the walls. The upper half was covered with a wallpaper with a rather unique flower design, but it was very subtle, and just the right touch needed to give the room a sort of atmosphere that Signas so loved.

Zero frowned. "What's up? Anything wrong?" He asked, then motioned to Sparrow. "And why is _he_ here?" Sparrow frowned, but Signas spoke for him.

"Sparrow is here because the three of you wouldn't be enough." He said, infuriatingly non-specifically, then motioned at X and Sparrow. "These two have been sitting here oh so patiently while you decided to waste your precious time getting here." Zero looked like he was about to open his mouth to defend himself, but apparently thought better of it. He made a slight "tch" sound and stood next to X, while Axl took a stand next to Sparrow. Axl was only slightly amused that he and Zero were the only ones out of armor.

"Zero's right, though. What are we here for?" X mimicked. Signas sighed, and clasped his hands in front of him on the desk he was seated at.

"I've received a call from Dr. Cain," he said, "and he's told me something rather… disturbing. Lately, our spotting teams have recorded abnormal energy readings, mostly just off the coast of Kyushu, and another large reading near Hyderabad, India. X frowned.

"Hyderabad? But that's nothing more than… a… a huge ruin! What would be there?" he asked. Axl was next to speak up.

"Kyushu isn't much better off…" he said, trying to be helpful. Zero next.

"And why so private? Any other Maverick attack, assuming this is one, is announced over the intercom system, and a Hunter unit is dispatched to take care of it. Why go all this trouble to have a meeting? And in _your office_, even?" he asked, as Signas waited patiently for his tangent to end.

"I am holding a private conference with the four of you because it may not be a Maverick attack," he said. "But… the energy readings have some unusual patterns. They may remind you of someone you know."

"Who, Sigma?" Zero half-joked, but it was a serious question all the same.

"No, not quite that bad," Signas replied. "Lumine." X's eyes widened.

"Lumine? But he's dead. Axl, you killed him, right?" he turned towards the younger reploid.

"Yeah!" he nodded. "Dead as a doornail; I made sure of it. But what do you mean, may not be a Maverick attack?"

Signas nodded. "Announcing to everyone that Lumine is back and out to kill everyone would certainly cause undue panic. If it's just a residual energy signature, then there's nothing to worry about. But I'd rather not have half the base running around like chickens with their heads cut off." He said. X grinned slightly at the rather morbid metaphor.

"So you'd like us to check it out? But there's only two locations. We're going to double up on this one?"

Signas nodded. "Yes. You can never be too cautious; it may be something serious. Better safe than sorry, right? Now, Zero and Axl… get suited up. Sparrow, you're with Axl, and the both of you are going to Hyderabad. X, you're with Zero, going to Kyushu." Sparrow and X looked at their respective partners. "Leave as soon as possible. Here are the co-ordinates for your teleportation systems." He handed both Axl and X a small data-chip with the co-ordinates burned into them. They all filed out of the room shortly after.

-

"Hyderabad, huh?" Sparrow joked. "I heard the weather's nice there this time of year…" he remarked, trudging after Axl, who had by now warped his black and red armor onto himself.

Axl chuckled a bit. "Yeah. Lots of…" he struggled for the word. "…rocks. Also, remind me that I'm gonna kill you later." Sparrow blinked.

"What? Why?"

"Because Zero tried to kill _me_."

"You and Zero looked like best buddies back there."

"Call that… divine intervention."

-

Not as long as some of my past chapters, by 200 words or so. But hey, at least I've finally updated, yeah?


End file.
